More often than not, managing or losing weight comes down to controlling the amount of calories you consume and burn off, but before you start, it is vital that you know the calories you personally need to ensure that your wellness remains intact.
One way you can work out the number of calories you need for your overall wellbeing is with a pre-diet food journal. Before you try to lose weight, spend a week recording what you eat, and how many calories it contains, without making any changes to your regular diet. Then, add up your calories and divide the week’s total by seven to get your daily average. This will give you an idea of how many calories you need to maintain your current bodyweight, and then you simply need to decrease that number by roughly 500-600 calories per day to lose weight.
If that sounds too time-consuming, online caloric needs calculators can give you a quick and easy estimate of the number of calories you need to eat to lose weight, and all it takes is data on your current weight, height and daily activity level, as well as your goal weight. However, remember that the results it gives you are guidelines, and are only as accurate as the information you provide.
For a fee, your gym or local health centre could give you a metabolic test which measures how many calories your body burns when it’s inactive, as well as the fat and carb calories that you burn when exercising at various exercise intensities. Though the accuracy of the test depends on the quality of the equipment and person evaluating you, one benefit of this test is that many trainers will also give you a metabolic training plan to burn more fat calories during exercise, as part of your metabolic assessment.
If you have a smart phone or computer, an activity monitor is a high-tech food and activity journal that provides all kinds of caloric data to your device based on a tracking device worn on your arm. This device measures your movement, body temperature and skin response, but be aware that this method of measuring your caloric needs can be expensive, as you’ll also need to subscribe to an online service.
Finally, a registered dietician can help you determine the number of calories you need to eat to lose weight, and how that breaks down into carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as a strategy for achieving your goals. The service may be covered by your insurance if you have health conditions that are affected by your weight, and your physician may be able to recommend a dietician to you.
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